Cover Reveal ~ Hit & Run ~ by ~ Emily Minton & Zoey Derrick

 

Title: Hit & Run
Authors: Emily Minton & Zoey Derrick
Genre: Erotic Romance

Cover Design: Cover Crush Designs

Release Date: August 21, 2017

 

Blurb

 

Tryst 
Hook-up
Rendezvous 
No Strings
Attached
Hit and
Run…
Arrogant, self-absorbed, cocky, sexy as hell – what women have to say about Wyatt
Armstrong. The CEO, co-founder and technical genius behind the largest security
firm in Dallas is any woman’s wet dream. Angry with his brother, he decides to
blow off a little steam and have some fun.
A one-night stand, one of his many hit and runs… Screw her and never see her again, right?
Right!
Taking the reins at Armstrong Security, he has the whole world in his hands. 
Until he meets his newest employee…
Sexy, confident, smart, a heart of gold – how her closest friends would describe Ella
Travers. Newly divorced, the sales guru of the security industry feels
beaten and broken, but she’s on her way back to the light. With a new job to
celebrate, she takes her best friend’s advice and have a little fun.
A one-night stand, her first ever hit and run… Screw him and never see him again, right?
Right! 
She’s got a new life to start and things are looking brighter. 
Until she meets her new boss…   
No attachments, no rules. Just sex. Are you game? 

 

Emily Minton
USA Today Bestselling author, Emily Minton is a Kentucky native. She is
proud to call the Bluegrass State home. She claims she bleeds blue–Wildcat
Blue! Emily loves to read and has more books on her kindle than most people
could read in a lifetime, but she intends to read every single one. She has
published fifteen books, but there are many more floating around in her head.
Zoey Derrick

Zoey Derrick is a Best Selling Author of Contemporary, Erotic, Erotic Romance and Paranormal Romance from Glendale Arizona. She was once a mortgage underwriter and she now writes full time.

 She writes stories as hot as the desert sun itself. It is this passion that drips off of her work, bringing excitement to anyone who enjoys a good and sensual love story.

Not only does she aim to take her readers on an erotic dance that lasts the night, it allows her to empty her mind of stories we all wish were true. Her stories are hopeful yet true to life, skillfully avoiding melodrama and the unrealistic, bringing her gripping Erotica only closer to the heart of those that dare dipping into it.

The intimacy of her fantasies that she shares with her readers is thrilling and encouraging, climactic yet full of suspense. She is a loving mistress, up for anything, of which any reader is doomed to return to again and again.

 

Cover Reveal ~ A Change Of View ~ by ~ Freya Barker

Title: A Change of View
Series: The Northern Lights Collection
Author: Freya Barker
Genre: Romantic Suspense Standalone
Release Date: August 16, 2017
Cover Designer: Rebel Edit & Design
What if one morning you look in the mirror and no longer recognize the person looking back?
When Leelo can no longer identify herself by the roles that once defined her, it’s both terrifying and liberating. Oh, she feels the loss, the grief, and then the anger, but when she inherits property up north, she jumps at the promise of freedom and independence. 
Yet not everyone in her new community is what they seem, starting with the surly mountain man down the road.
As owner of the local fishing lodge, Roar is content with his everyday life. And the older he gets, the less he appreciates change. So when a blue-haired, tattooed ‘city girl’ moves into the old motel, shaking up his daily routine, he’s none too pleased.

Still, something about the woman’s easy smile and almost reckless grit has him step up as her keeper.

Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.
Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

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Cover Reveal ~ Illicit ~ by ~ M.N. Forgy

ILLICIT COVER MN

Illicit (Sin City Outlaws Book 4) by M.N. Forgy releases on July 27th!

**Can be read as a standalone**

Pre-order your copy NOW:

 80bc8-red2blabel_amazon   bb100-red2blabel_amazon2buk

 **Additional Retailers to follow**

TBRsynopsis

I’m an animal, a member of the Sin City Outlaws motorcycle club that isn’t capable of human compassion. So I’ve been told anyway.

Raven is my club’s prisoner. I’ve been ordered to break her. It should be easy given my violent history. But being this close to a woman—this woman—for the first time in a long time, is like sharing company with the demon Lilith herself.

She’s my perfect toy. Filled with a dark rage. Blessed with perfected beauty. Sinfully sweet and wickedly divine. Everything about her solicits the demons inside me

I want to hear her screams. I want those big, dark eyes looking up at me—silently begging me for mercy. I want to be her heaven…and her hell.

My desire for her is forbidden. My infatuation is illicit. I’m betraying my club.

And if the wage of my sin is death, then this woman is going to get me killed.

illicit teaser 2 m.n..jpg

TBRauthorbio.png

m-n-forgy

 

M.N. Forgy was raised in Missouri where she still lives with her family. She’s a soccer mom by day and a saucy writer by night. M.N. Forgy started writing at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn’t live with the “what if” anymore and finally took a chance on her character’s story. So, with her glass of wine in hand and a stray Barbie sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her fans.

Stalk Her:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Cover Reveal ~ Nickel ~ by ~ Winter Travers

Title: Nickel
Series: Fallen Lords MC
Author: Winter Travers
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: July 29, 2017 
Photographer: LJ Photography
Cover Designer: Melissa Gill @ MG BookCovers


 

 

Simple. Neat. Orderly.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

Karmen Handel’s life growing up had been anything but quiet and simple. A deadbeat father, a mother who never wanted her, and a grandmother who could care less were the perfect recipe to ensure Karmen built a wall around herself and never let anyone in. When her past comes back to haunt her, Karmen has no one to help her. Until Nickel.

Complicated. Dirty. Restless.

Live to ride. Ride to live.

Nickel Cunningham lives free with the brothers he calls family and has never craved anything more until he met Karmen. The shy, quiet nurse who cares for his grandma caught his eye months ago, and he hasn’t been able to get her off his mind since. Nickel knows what he wants, but he’s never had to fight for it before. Until Karmen. 

Winter Travers is a devoted wife, mother, and aunt turned author who was born and raised in Wisconsin. After a brief stint in South Carolina following her heart to chase the man who is now her hubby, they retreated back up North to the changing seasons, and the place they now call home.

Winter spends her days writing happily ever afters, and her nights zipping around on her forklift at work. She also has an addiction to anything MC related, her dog Thunder, and Mexican food! (Tamales!)

Winter loves to stay connected with her readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact her.


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Cover Reveal ~ Up to Bat ~ by ~ Maggie Jane Schuler

Title: Up To Bat
Series: The Diamond Series Book 1
Author: Maggie Jane Schuler
Genre: NA Romance 
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Photographer: RplusMphoto
Cover Models: Davy Muscle and Kayla Barnes
Cover Design: Mr. @ Maggie Jane Schuler

Samantha Sawyer, a busy college junior, is thrown a curveball when she’s asked to mentor Adriana, a shy freshman with secrets and mysteries. 

Unfortunately, these secrets lead Sam into a dangerous game she’s not sure she can win. Her salvation comes packaged in the tall, sexy, and self-assured Blake Angel. Can he save her, or is he really the devil in disguise?



Maggie Jane Schuler is a wife, mother of three almost-grown children, and teacher by day. While she has always loved to read, the thought of writing her own prose did not strike until she was in the middle of writing her Master’s Thesis. From that point on she was hooked.

She Resides in Southern California. Besides the family and books, she loves baseball. Since the Dodgers, Angels, and Padres are all within a short distance, and the Giants and Athletics a nice weekend jaunt away, she’s got plenty of games to take in during the season. Additionally, she enjoys cooking, movies, the beach, and the local mountains. She’s most content being with her family engaged in whatever activity they have planned.

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Cover Reveal ~ The Leverager ~ by ~ C.L. Masonite


Title: The Leverager
Author: C.L. Masonite
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: August 4, 2017
Cover Designer: CT Cover Creations
Photography: Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Model: Joshua Underwood

 

No one knows who The Leverager is, or if they do, they keep his identity a closely guarded secret. You ask to him to do a favor, any favor and he’ll do it, for a price in return of course.

 


 

He’s exclusive; he meets the needs of his clients one at a time. They say his price is different according to each client, sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s trade secrets and sometimes it’s a favor that you’ll have to repay in the future.

 


The price is always extortionate—when you make a deal with the devil it always is. And I was willing to pay.

“Wait!” I called just as he was about to walk out the door.
“Yes?” He inquired over his shoulder.
“What are you getting out of this? I mean, what do I owe you?” I asked, remembering he’d never revealed just why he was doing this.

He chuckled disarmingly. “It’s too late for that, Monsoon. You showed me your cards without asking me to show mine. I take what I want, when I want it. I don’t reveal my secrets for nothing in return, and no matter what I want from you, you won’t be able to stop me from taking it even if I was to tell you what it is. So, really, there’s no point in you knowing. Just be ready to deliver, when I demand,” he declared with smoldering eyes.

 

I’ve lived thousands of moments and I’ve been to thousands of places crafted by the soul crushing and soul mending words of thousands of authors. (Metaphorically raises glass of gin and tonic), here’s to hoping I’ve created one thousandth of a moment of life for you …

 


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Cover Reveal ~ Sinner ~ by ~ Jackie Wang

Title: Sinner
Author: Jackie Wang
Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery
Release Date: July 22, 2017
First, he broke my heart. Then, he ripped it out of my chest.

Fifteen years ago, Beckett Longstead broke up with me, then disappeared.

One stormy night, he shows up at my doorstep bloodied and bruised, begging me for help.

I should’ve shut the door in his face. Should’ve left him to bleed.

But instead, I take him in and fix him, just like when we were teenagers.

Beckett has secrets, though, and everything about him screams guilt.

He’s hiding something terrible, but he won’t tell me what.

He claims he can’t remember. That he has amnesia.

He’s sick, plagued by nightmares, and his memory loss troubles me.

But he’s got no one else. 

So against my better judgment, I welcome him into my home, and back into my vulnerable heart.

Little did I know, his sins would destroy us. 

Little did I know, his secrets would ruin everything.
Beck silenced me with a kiss, and it was as if the past fifteen years never happened. In a matter of seconds, I was a teenager again, madly in love with a damaged boy, desperate to do anything to save him. Beck’s lips parted mine with greedy urgency, his tongue delving, exploring, tasting. His longer fingers trailed along my thigh, sending a tingle straight between my legs. I’d had three boyfriends since Beck, and had sex probably hundreds of times, but Beck was still different. He was right, you never forget your first. The aching, the lust, the hormones, the insanity. Beck devoured my mouth, and I let him, because I had no other choice. My body had already made up its own mind, and I was no longer in control. I was a slave to my desires, and my desires ached to possess him. Beck gripped my waist with both hands and lifted me until I straddled his lap. Then he tugged my t-shirt over my head and tossed it on the ground. Reaching around me, he squeezed my ass cheeks through my pants before pushing me down on the floor and pulling those off too. I helped him kick off my pants until I lay facing him, wearing nothing but a pair of lacy pink underwear and a matching bra.

 

“Fuck me,” Beck swore. “You’re a goddess.”

 

“Don’t just stare.”

 

 


 

 

“You’re fucking beautiful, Terri. I’m sorry I waited fifteen years to tell you that again.” Beck lunged for me, his mouth dancing across my neck, nibbling, licking, sucking. “I need to make up for lost time. So let me start by telling you again, you are the most beautiful woman in the world and I would die for the privilege of worshipping your body every single fucking day of my life.”

JACKIE WANG lives in Vancouver, 

Canada with her real-life alpha hero and their rambunctious daughter. When she’s not writing, Jackie is binge-reading, gorging on expensive chocolates, or fiddling around with Photoshop.

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Cover Reveal ~ Bullets & Bonfires ~ by ~ Autumn Jones Lake

Today we have the sexy cover reveal for Bullets & Bonfires by Autumn Jones Lake! Check it out and preorder your copy today!

Title: Bullets & Bonfires

Author: Autumn Jones Lake

Release Date: July 17, 2017

About Bullets & Bonfires:

The one man she’s always wanted is now the sexy sheriff of their hometown.

Battered but not broken, grad student Brianna Avery returns to the childhood home she abandoned four years ago. With her abusive ex behind bars, Bree needs the summer to relax and recover before returning to school. But her overprotective brother decides she needs someone to babysit her in his absence, and he picks the one person guaranteed to drive her nuts.

She’s the one woman he can’t have.

Telling Bree no has never been easy. Four years ago, Liam Hollister did it to preserve his friendship with his best friend—Brianna’s brother. Now, no matter how she tempts him, he’s determined to do the right thing. As deputy sheriff of their rural area, Liam is torn between protecting Brianna and wanting her for himself.

Take a risk or lose the chance.

Spending so much time alone together challenges them both. Old feelings and hurts resurface immediately. With each hot, sweaty day it’s harder to deny their attraction.

It’s going to be a long, hot summer.

ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR!

Bullets & Bonfires is a complete stand-alone, but if you’re familiar with my Lost Kings MC series, Teller and Murphy make brief appearances throughout.

Preorder Today

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

 

About the Cover:

Cover Design by: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Cover Photo: Wander Aguiar Photography

Cover Model: Andrew Biernat

 

Exclusive Excerpt:

LIAM

Rage boils inside me at the sight of the once-vibrant girl in my arms. Big, bug-eyed sunglasses or not, I caught another glimpse of the bruises on her face before she buried her head against my chest.

“Tell me what happened, Bree. Who did this to you?”

Her muffled whimper makes me regret questioning her so soon. But I have to know who did this so I can plan how to kill them.

My hands curl into fists and I struggle to straighten them out and keep running them over Bree’s back. If I could carry her pain, I’d do it. No question.

She flinches, and I hesitate. Where else is she hurt? An unfamiliar, out-of-control sensation threatens to blow the top of my head off as I consider the possibilities.

Nothing in my professional training prepared me for this. Maybe that makes me a shitty cop. I don’t know. I’ve dealt with DV victims before. Locked up plenty of husbands who were too quick with their fists.

It made me angry every single time.

But nothing like this.

“Honey,” I say gently, trying to keep my voice calm and professional. “Is Chad the one who hurt you?”

It’ll take everything in me not to hunt Chad down and beat the living fuck out of him if he did this to my little Bree. I need to know every single detail so I can fix this for her.

One more sniffle from Bree threatens to shatter me, and I wrap my arms around her tighter.

Against my body, she seems fragile and tiny. What kind of “man” hurts a woman?

Slowly, she unwraps her arms from around my waist before I’m ready to let her go.

Shoving the sunglasses up and settling them on top of her head, she brushes a few stray tears off her cheeks. One look at the full extent of the bruising sends me back into murderous-rage territory.

She must sense my fury, because she quickly tugs the sunglasses back down. “It looks worse than it feels. I’m okay, really.”

I was in enough fights as a teenager to know she’s lying. Her bright blue eyes may have temporarily lost the sparkle I remember, but her courage reassures me.

“Thank you for being here, Liam.”

“I’m always here for you.” Sure wish I’d been there to prevent this.

Our eyes lock and I nod, hoping to encourage her to tell me what happened. “Tell me the truth. Did Chad do this?” I ask again.

She nods slowly and I suck in a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. “Where is he now?”

“Empire County Jail,” she whispers.

“Good.”

My eyes take more of her in. I haven’t seen her in at least two years. Bree isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s grown into a stunning woman.

A woman who just got knocked around by her boyfriend, dickhead.

“Please don’t—”

“Don’t what, Bree?”

“Get involved. He’s in jail and the judge denied bail. I’ll be fine. I’m okay,” she says, but I’m not sure if she’s trying convince herself or convince me.

Okay my ass.

Unwanted memories of her high school graduation flood my brain. Sweet little Bree had curled herself around my body, stared up into my face, and informed me she wasn’t a kid any more before asking me to be her first. Like an idiot, I’d given in and kissed her. Wanted to do a hell of a lot more.

Vince catching his best friend making out with his sister behind their house had not gone over well.

In the academy, I’d been tasered, tear-gassed, and pepper-sprayed, but pushing Bree away to save my friendship with her brother remains the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Because I really, really wanted to be her first.

How would things have turned out if I’d followed my instincts? Told my best friend to fuck off, mind his own business. Explained that I was crazy about his sister and he better suck it up?

But she was barely out of high school. About to leave for college when I had no plans to leave our small town. She was off limits in so many ways.

Now, she’s home to recover from something horrible. Not to be manhandled. No matter how much I want to keep my arms around her, I have to let her go. It’s the right thing to do.

She’s not only Vince’s little sister, she’s my friend. And I want—no, I need—to do everything possible to help her through this.

Coming on to her is not helpful. It’s not what a good friend would do.

“I don’t have a key anymore, so I guess that’s why Vince called you?”

I’m struggling here. Unsure of which role to slip into. Detached cop consoling a victim? Friend? More-than-friend?

Definitely not the last one.

 

About Autumn Jones Lake:

Autumn believes true love stories never end. She’s easily amused, a procrastinator and loves romances with true alpha heroes who cherish the sassy women they fall in love with. Her past lives include baking cookies, slinging shoes, and practicing law. Playing with her imaginary friends is her favorite job so far. Autumn prefers to write her romances on the classy side of dirty, and she’s a sucker for a filthy-talking, demanding alpha male hero. The bigger the better.

 

Connect with Autumn!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | IG | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Newsletter | Bookbub | Personal Facebook Group

Enter Autumn’s Giveaway:

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Cover Reveal ~ About That Kiss ~ by ~ Jill Shalvis

 

 

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes the next sexy, standalone novel in the Heartbreaker Bay series…

 

 

About ABOUT THAT KISS:

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

 

 

Pre-Order ABOUT THAT KISS in ebook or paperback, releasing 1/23/18

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

 

Add to your Goodreads

 

 

EXCERPT:

Kylie Masters watched him walk into her shop like he owned it while simultaneously pretending not to notice him. A tricky balancing act that she’d gotten good at. Problem was, like it or not, her attention was caught and captured by the six foot, leanly muscled, scowling guy now standing directly in front of her, hands shoved in his pockets, body language clearly set to Frustrated Male.

She sighed, gave up the ridiculous pretense of being engrossed by her phone, and met his gaze. She was supposed to smile and ask how she could help him. That’s what they all did when it was their turn to work the front counter at Reclaimed Woods. They were to show potential clients their custom made goods when what they really wanted was to be in the back workshop on their own, individual projects. Kylie’s specialty was dining room sets, which meant she wore a thick apron and goggles to protect herself and was perpetually covered in sawdust.

And she did mean covered in sawdust. Wood flakes dusted her hair, stuck to her exposed arms, and if she’d been wearing any makeup today, they’d have been stuck to her face as well. In short, she was not looking how she wanted to be looking while facing this man again. Not even close. “Joe,” she said in careful greeting.

He gave her a single head nod.

Okay, so he wasn’t going to talk first. Fine. She’d be the grownup today. “What an I do for you?” she asked, fairly certain he wasn’t here to shop for furniture. He wasn’t exactly the domesticated type.

Joe ran a hand through his hair so that the military short, dark silky strands stood straight up. He wore a black t-shirt stretched over broad shoulders, loose over tight abs, untucked over cargos that emphasized his mile-long legs. He was built like the soldier he’d been not too long ago, as if keeping fit was his job – which given what he did for a living, it absolutely was. He shoved his mirrored sunglasses to the top of his head, revealing ice blue eyes that could be hard as stone when working but she knew that they could also soften when he was amused, aroused, or having fun. He was none of those three things at the moment.

 

 

 

And don’t miss the first books in Jill Shalvis’s Heartbreaker Bay Series, SWEET LITTLE LIES, THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE, ONE SNOWY NIGHT, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE and CHASING CHRISTMAS EVE! Grab your copies HERE!

 

 

 

About Jill Shalvis:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

 

 

 

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Cover Reveal ~ Losing My Religion ~ by ~ A.S. Tucker


Title: Losing My Religion
Author: A.S. Tucker
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: July 27, 2017

 

Jaden Barker is a good boy.

For as long as he can remember, he’s been preparing for the day he’ll be called as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He’s ready. He’s more than willing. And he can’t wait to spend the next two years serving the Lord and his church. But when a new proclamation from the church is announced, it leaves him questioning everything.

Quinn Owens is trouble with a capital T.

An aspiring actor living in the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s fought long and hard to get where he is, and he’s not willing to give it up for anything. Working for a homophobic boss presents quite a challenge when you’re a gay man, but Quinn knows losing this job means losing his dream. 

Jaden is lost and confused.

Quinn won’t let anything stand in his way.

But when Jaden finds himself living downstairs from the enticing Quinn, neither are prepared for what happens next.

Will Jaden be able to resist Quinn’s charms and remain a devoted Mormon missionary? Or will he fall, finding himself face to face with losing his religion?
Prologue
Our living room smells like a high school locker room. You know the smell I’m talking about. That oniony stink teen boys get when it’s been too long since they’ve showered, and they still haven’t quite discovered the magic of deodorant. 

It’s a smell I’m all-too familiar with, my high school career having only come to an end this past year. It’s going to take a lot longer than ten months to wipe the horrors I saw and smelled in the boys’ locker room out of my brain. 

Even as I sit on the barstool in the center of the room, visions of Roosevelt High come flashing to my mind, and I half-expect to see Jeff come strolling through the door, twisted wet towel in hand, just waiting for the perfect moment to snap it against an unsuspecting victim’s bare ass.

Butt. I mean, butt. 

Cussing was never allowed when I was growing up. But, now that this has arrived, I need to be more diligent about watching my language. 

Because cussing will not be tolerated where I’m going. 

I look down at the white envelope in my hands, my fingers trembling ever-so slightly, as I read over my name and address printed on the front.

Elder Jaden Barker.

Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Perfect missionary name. Exactly like my parents envisioned.

Flipping the envelope over, I gently finger the flap, watching the pristine paper slide against my skin. How ironic would it be if the one thing that’s supposed to be the biggest blessing in my life thus far sliced through my flesh, red drops of blood seeping through my pores and marring the lily-white paper beneath?

Wouldn’t be the first time the church cut you, a familiar voice in the back of my mind utters.

Yes, but they’ve always been there to stitch you back up. You just need to have faith, his ever-present counterpart retorts. 

I know what you’re thinking. This dude is crazy. I’m not. I don’t actually hear voices. They’re only little versions of my subconscious—punks who like to rear up and cause problems in my life at the most inopportune times. Ever since I turned in my mission papers, they seem to have taken permanent residence in my head—like those old cartoons I used to watch, the ones with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The church would refer to them as the Holy Ghost and Satan.

Or, as I like to call them, Jiminy and Jafar. Growing up, I had a thing for Disney.

Shrugging off their unwelcome intrusion, I turn my attention back to the task at hand, the all-too-familiar pang of nervousness welling deep within my gut. My stomach has been in knots all afternoon. 

My family has been expecting this any day now. As soon as I pulled it out of the mailbox and saw the distinct logo in the top-left corner, I was tempted to rip into it right there, near the gutter, needing the torment of where I’d be spending the next two years of my life to end. 

My mother, of course, had different plans. The moment she realized I’d received it, she plucked it from my fingers, whisking it away into the kitchen and telling me we had to wait for my father to get home from work. Then, like the good little housewife she is, she set about making a scrumptious chicken noodle soup. My grandmother’s recipe and her mother’s before that. Also, my favorite meal on the planet. 

That brings us to the reason I’m now sitting on a kitchen stool in the middle of the living room with three smiling faces shining back at me from the sofa, the normally delicious smell of the soup now making me nauseous and forcing me to think of sweaty teenagers. 

I’ve been preparing for this day for as long as I can remember. Since I was just a kid, I knew my life was leading to this very moment. And, after years of singing songs in primary and learning lesson after lesson in priesthood meetings, it’s finally here. 

I’m going to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I’m ready for this. 

I’ve been groomed for this. 

I’m going to share the truth with the people of wherever this letter sends me. 

My fingers tremble as I tear into the envelope, my family sitting across from me on the edge of the couch. My mother’s hand flies to her mouth as she watches the stark white paper slide from its temporary shelter. I know, within a week, it will be framed and hanging proudly in the hallway, right next to my brother, Taylor’s, mission call. 

“Dear Brother Barker,” I read aloud, my voice shaky as my heart hammers against my chest. 

My dad leans forward, wringing his hands in anticipation, while my mother leans her face into his shoulder as she stifles a sob. To an outsider, it might appear my parents are nervous, as if the thought of sending their nineteen-year-old son out into the world with minimal contact for two years were a terrifying idea they weren’t entirely on board with. 

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case at all. My parents are waiting with bated breath, their anticipation for me to leave eclipsed only by the joy they feel about me going in the first place. Not because they don’t love me, but because doing the Lord’s work is far more important. 

“You are hereby called to serve as a missionary at…” My words trail off, my eyes scanning the page until the bold words leap out at me. “California Los Angeles Mission.”

I must have said the words aloud because, within seconds I’m enveloped in my mother’s arms. My dad moves to join her, his broad arms circling the two of us as he whispers how happy he is for me. My little sister, Jenny, clears her throat behind me, and my mother swings her arm wide to pull her into the hug with us. 

“I’m so, so proud of you, Jaden. You’re going to receive so many blessings because of this. And you’ll bless so many people in return,” my mother says as she squeezes me tight. 

Her arms drop suddenly, and she pulls away from me, her eyes shining, as she says, “I need to go call Taylor. He was so sad he couldn’t be here today. Poor little Maddy has another ear infection, and they didn’t want to ruin your special day with a crying infant. But he made me promise to call as soon as we knew where you were going. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make.”

She practically dances out of the room, my dad close on her heels as he reminds her of a few other people who need to hear the good news. 

Left alone with only my little sister, I glance down at Jenny, her ten-year-old face beaming up at me. 

“I can’t wait until I’m old enough to go on a mission! Are you excited?” Her squeaky voice breaks on the last word. 

I smile at her, nodding my head in the most self-assured way I can manage. 

This should be the most exciting day of my life. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, and every detail of this day has gone exactly according to plan. My mom’s happy tears, my dad’s joyous words. Heck, I don’t even have to learn another language at the training center. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.

So, why does it feel like I’m living a lie?
A military brat growing up, A.S. Tucker now resides in Utah with her loving husband. When not writing, you’ll find her reading, binge watching Netflix, or drinking wine. Her three favorite things are animals, coffee, and Harry Potter, not necessarily in that order. She is the author of three other novels, published under a different pen name. She loves hearing from her readers, so please drop her a line! 

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